New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): Voters in Delhi and Haryana will have to wait longer for the publication of the final electoral rolls, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) announcing fresh deadlines for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
According to the revised timetable issued on October 29, Haryana will publish its final voter list on November 30, while Delhi’s final electoral roll is now scheduled for December 22, 2026.
The latest changes come after delays in completing the verification and hearing process. Delhi has seen its final publication date changed for the third time, while Haryana has received its second extension since the original schedule was announced.
The SIR exercise has also drawn political criticism over the large number of names missing from draft electoral rolls. The ECI has announced special camps to help eligible voters submit claims for inclusion.
Haryana Final Voter List Date: Why Has The Deadline Changed?
The Election Commission’s latest notification has extended the notice period and the disposal of claims and objections in Haryana until November 20. The final electoral roll will be released on November 30.
Haryana’s original deadline was September 22, as announced when the third phase of the SIR exercise was introduced on May 14. The Commission subsequently moved the date to November 6 through its August 29 announcement. The October 29 revision has pushed publication back by a further 24 days.
The delay is linked to the large number of pending cases requiring hearings and verification. Earlier this month, the Haryana Chief Electoral Officer’s office organised a special three-day drive, setting up camps and collecting documents through house-to-house visits to speed up the process.
The exercise resulted in the disposal of 57,339 pending hearing cases on October 7 and 8. Even after this drive, however, 2,85,834 cases remained pending.
The CEO’s office reported that 44,91,923 notices had been generated across Haryana over unmapped voters and other discrepancies in the electoral rolls.
Authorities had planned to finish the pending hearings by October 28, allowing the final list to be published on the earlier deadline of November 6. That target was missed, leading to another extension, according to sources.
Delhi SIR Deadline Extended For Third Time
Delhi’s final voter list will now be published on December 22, following another revision by the ECI.
The October 29 notification extended the deadline for submitting claims and objections to November 25. The notice process and disposal of claims and objections will continue until December 15.
The initial timetable had fixed October 7 as the publication date for Delhi’s final electoral rolls. The date was later shifted to November 4 and subsequently to December 4. The latest notification has moved it to December 22.
This means the final publication has been delayed by around two-and-a-half months compared with the original deadline.
The revision follows special camps conducted by the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer’s office from late September. These camps were intended to help eligible voters whose names were missing from the draft electoral rolls seek their inclusion. Official figures put the number of voters left out at approximately 47.5 lakh.
Why Is The Special Intensive Revision Facing Opposition?
The SIR exercise has become a political flashpoint, with the Congress-led INDIA bloc questioning the process and raising concerns about voters being excluded from electoral rolls.
The controversy has also coincided with reports of differences within the Election Commission. According to media reports, Election Commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised concerns with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over matters including the centralisation of the ECI’s digital platform and alleged unilateral decisions by junior officials.
The INDIA bloc and the online satirical platform Cockroach Janata Party have also criticised the revision exercise and demanded Kumar’s removal.
Amid the concerns over missing names, the Election Commission has announced special camps across the country to assist voters seeking inclusion in the draft lists. The revised schedules in Delhi and Haryana provide additional time for the authorities to process notices, hearings, claims and objections before the final electoral rolls are issued.
